New York in a dozen dishes

In thirteen essays (a baker's dozen) covering distinctive dishes from a cross-section of New York City's cultural makeup, veteran food journalist Robert Sietsema explores how foods from around the world arrived, commingled, and became part of the city's culinary identity. Sietsema writes from personal experience as a restaurant critic eating in thousands of restaurants across five boroughs (and New Jersey) over the span of multiple decades; each chapter ends with a recipe.